| Vote Recommendation | Economic Freedom | Property Rights | Personal Responsibility | Limited Government | Individual Liberty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | Neutral | Neutral | Positive | Neutral | Positive |
SB 578 requires the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (“department”) to provide reentry and reintegration resource guides for all inmates. These guides would be created with the collaboration of nonprofits, faith-based organizations, and pro-bono legal services. The guides would be available in Windham School District libraries, law libraries, peer educator classrooms, chapels, reintegration specialist offices, and any area used for providing information about reentry.
Currently, individuals released from prisons might not be aware of the post-release government and nonprofit assistance that is offered. SB 578 would encourage those who have been released from prison to promote their own self-responsibility by equipping them with information resources to help bridge them back into society. This also allows for recently released inmates to become aware of local nonprofits and religious organizations that can possibly help continue to support the personal responsibility that is necessary to become an active and productive citizen. We support this bill for promoting the individual liberty and personal responsibility of recently released inmates in a way that will hopefully lead toward lower recidivism rates.
Although, this bill provides the information necessary to apply for governmental benefits, it is unique because it also provides contacts to local nonprofits and legal pro-bono firms that can be best way for felons to begin a pathway to self-sufficiency. Instead of the government automatically referring people in need to more government programs, this works with the local community to provide a more individualized path. We support this bill for also preserving limited government.